The Vanished

Point Horror Unleashed

by Celia Rees

There are all kinds of stories about the school, about the city: ghost stories, hauntings, mysterious disappearances. They make entertaining copy for the school newspaper, then Fraser begins to wonder if some of them might be true.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural, Fiction, Audiobook, Paranormal

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Celia Rees (born 1949) is an English author of children's, YA and Adult fiction.

She was born in 1949 in Solihull, West Midlands but now lives in Leamington Spa with her husband. Rees attended University of Warwick and earned a degree in History of Politics. After university, she taught English in Coventry secondary schools for seventeen years, during which time she began to write.

Since then, she has written over twenty YA titles. Her books have been translated into 28 languages. She has been short listed for the Guardian, Whitbread (now Costa) and W.H. Smith Children’s Book Awards. She is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation. She has been Chair of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group and on the Society of Authors’ Management Committee.

Her first book for adults, Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook, was published by HarperCollins in July, 2020.

Reviews

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Words: School, mystery, disappearance, horror, family.

I've pretty much lost count of how many times I've read this book. I still remember the first time I read it. I was twelve years old, in maths, and we were doing a statistics exercise about word count and letter count in books. I picked this one.

This is a great little horror, and as much as there is such a fantastical ending, it feels very much grounded in realism. It's quite a chilling read, and even now (well over ten years since my first read) I feel a little nervous when I'm underground or walking past the culvert.

I also liked how this story explored family dynamics and the complications of friendship and teenage attraction. I liked the way the narrative focused on different characters, so that we got a broader view of what was happening.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh gosh, it’s a shame, I really struggled to get to the end of this book. It was much to long. I loved the actual idea of it, and once we got to the bad guys, they were superb-very creepy. I feel there should have been a lot more scenes with them in, and not just left to the end. The first three quarters on the book was too focused on the newspaper, and the backgrounds of characters-the amount of detail gone into this was too much for a point horror book-I felt the author tried too hard, point horror should be quick, punchy, with lots of instant scares, in my opinion. Again, the actual idea was brilliant.

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've read this book 5-6 times at least. When I was younger, I used to borrow this every summer. I wasn't much for scary movies or books, but this one I could read over and over again. However I don't want to ruin the memory of it by reading it again now that I'm older. Something tells me I wouldn't enjoy it as much. Anyway, the mash of the untold and vanishing children, coming together in some science fictional place... It's basically a great mash-up of genres.

[Rachel Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review at age 11:

"Odd/freaky sometimes, but good."

I was SO scared by this book when I first read it. I was used to generic, Point Horror-style horror, so a decent book was an enigma for me. I remember sitting in the garden with my family while reading this, in the blazing sun, and still being scared that some creepy, dead-but-undead child was hiding behind me. And the cover! I hated looking at the cover; super creepy! Even six years on, I can still remember loads of details about this book - it had a big effect on me! Recommended to young thriller fans.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutley amazing overall , but it did give me some creeps when i read it at night !! It wasn't quite what i was expecting because a friend recommened it to me to read as it was to scary for her to read and it wasn't quite the way she described it .The end had to be my favourite part because thats when it was all revealed about the missing people in the woods . I would definetly recommened it to people who like creepy things that give you alot of suspence , but i won't tell you any more incase it gives it away but its definetley not what you think it is ...

[Natalia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. Not good. I started this book several times and could never get passed first half. I’m on page 88 out of 208 now and still nothing interesting is happening. Can’t keep on with this any longer.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted a quick audiobook to listen to while at work and it was a nice quick one. I didn't hate the story, but I also didn't love it. To me it was like other ghost stories that I have read and watched. Still enjoyable though.

[Erica Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow but picks up in the last third when we finally get to see what’s been going on in the underground tunnels

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 41% in

[Ós Camacho · Rating 1 out of 5]

Churrito de terror.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't have time to read this book then let Shirley Barthelmie read it to you! In this five CD set lies a terrible secret, a blood chilling horror that only begins with every parent's nightmare...and THEN it gets scary.

Alistair Fraser is new at high school, suffering emotional anguish caused by a family tragedy. Jake Saunders is the school geek, a talented photographer, and doting brother of little sister Amy. Both boys like Cassie, editor of the school newspaper, thus becoming the cause of some jealousy and misdirection. Into the mix comes the mysterious, homeless Billy who may know more about child disappearances than he lets on.

And then Amy disappears....

I LOVED this story and the way it was told. Barthelmie has at least six main characters for whom she must produce distinct voices--and she does. I could always tell who was speaking even when no tags of "he said" and "she said" were present.


There are a few loose ends that are never tied up (at least I don't recall them being tied up...what exactly happened to Cassie in the closet...and where are those seven steps the kids talk about? For that matter, who are the children Cassie and Jake see with Billy?) Still, these are minor points in a supremely spooky and satisfying tale.

[Jessica Hobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Vanished


Celia Rees, "The Vanished" is a gothic novel that will send shivers down your spine. A group of kids from the school come together to write a school newsletter, when they create fake stories about vanished kids to encourage students to read the newletter. Suddenly kids begin to disappear, leading into an investigation.

This novel includes fears to self, vioence, death, incarceration and judgement.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Students are trying to make their school newspaper more popular. Why not try some creepy creative stories of some around-the-town haunting? Their ploy works, newspaper circulation soars, and then creepy occurences become reality. Jake, Fraser, and Cassie investigate. This is a good one for your teens who like to be spooked. It spooked me!

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book - kind of creepy with a nice twisty original, unpredictable plot. I really respect that in a novel!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy, exciting, and very hard to put down.

[Sharron Joy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

There have always been rumours of something strange about the town, so many children going missing, eerie long forgotten tunnels and places underground and the feeling of being watched. When two children go missing the new lad, Fraser and the school’s newspaper team headed by Cassie investigate when the school photographer, Fraser, loses his sister.

This is a fantastic horror story, full of creepy decaying places and the shiver down your spine of something otherworldly stalking the living. Not only does it deal with missing children taken by a mystery malignant evil but it also explores grief and family dynamics in such an incredible way. The story is both sad and hopeful, the characters above ground scared but brave, the ones below vicious and sly. This is a horror paranormal mystery and is a spine tingling tale of twisted innocence!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Point Horror Unleashed book that I have read, and I was not disappointed! I'm guessing that the Unleashed series is supposed to be scarier than the earlier books, which is certainly the case here. There are so many good things to say about The Vanished. The characters are interesting and more well-rounded, with better back stories, and they are likeable. The setting is vastly different in that this one is set in the North of England, so the language and descriptions are very different from previous PH books. The story is incredibly creepy, based around the mysterious disappearance of several local children, and whilst the ending is fantastical, the rest of the story is very plausible, which makes The Vanished all the more scary!

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Point Horror Unleashed read - a grittier Brit version of Point Horror. I liked the 90s slang that reminded me of my own school days. I'm a fan of Rees anyway and this didn't disappoint. I particularly enjoyed the idea of the 7 steps - creepy steps that will lead you to a dark underworld, and the steps look different for everyone. Mine definitely lead into a dark basement of an old house. I did get a bit fed up towards the end as I think it could have been wrapped up quicker, but besides that, this was a good introduction to the Unleashed series that I will certainly be reading more of.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was a ghost story with a difference.

When a new boy joins a school he convinces the school newspaper to start reporting on mysterious incidents that are happening at the school. Then more incidents start happening and a mysterious "Billy" seems to be linked to a number of these stories. This is overshadowed by a girl going missing. And then there is the creepy game that the pre-schoolers are playing.

This was only a short book but it was fast paced. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.

[Amberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started and finished date – 11.10.25 to 14.10.25.
My rating – Three Stars.
This book was okay, and I did enjoyed is book but I didn't love it also the southern book cub's guide to slaying vampires by Grady Hendrix or all hallows by Christopher Golden may like is book. The cover of book was okay, but they could do better. The writing was okay, and the writing was easy also the ending of book was fine. On scale from 1 to 10 of how scary the book was, I think the book was a four on the scale. The atmosphere was okay, and the setting was fine also mystery was okay. I think this book has a similar vibe as the Stephen King's books. The paced of most short stories was well structured and steady paced. The characters was okay but they could be flash out bit more.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un thriller muy recomendado en el que nos apropiamos de las historias de un grupo de diferentes chicos con historias aterradoras de niños perdidos. Mientras seguimos la pista del periódico que ellos intentan imprimir con la historia, descubrimos que hay fantasmas perdidos en el tiempo intentando atraer más víctimas. El thriller es una de mis debilidades, lo leí en un par de horas y disfruté cada uno de sus capítulos.
Fantástica obra narrativa de Celia

[Georgina Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as part of a point horror book club on Instagram (best book club check it out if these books are your thing 😊📚) this book was creepy, it's a point horror unleashed so maybe targeted for a slightly older audience. Celia Rees is a lovely author too, I enjoyed this the story could grow into an even bigger book but it was condensed well.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book from about page 88 onwards, but I felt as though it could have done with a better introduction and needed a few explanations and some loose ends tying up. I did, however, turn every light on whilst reading it, spooky enough for me.

[Clare Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have loved this during my Point Horror phase, but I aged out before it was published. Were they all as silly as this?

The most terrifying thing in the whole story may have been the Briiiiing Briiiiiiing of a rotary dial phone...

[Rae's Reading Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately not as good as Celia Rees other books in my opinion but the plot and storyline was great as were the characters

[Georgia Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. I read it over and over again. It catches me up in it's scary stories.

[Maham Nasir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've lost count on how many times I've read this book. Everything about this book is amazing. The plot, the storyline, the character building. I love it so much.

[Ada · Rating 4 out of 5]

So. Many. Unanswered. Questions!!!

[A Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great young teen book. Definitely would’ve scared me at that age!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow start, for a point horror. Story did pick up to the point where I had to finish it. Not the best, not the worst.